Older adults in India face unequal pension support. Rising health costs, inflation, and fewer joint families add to these challenges, leaving many elders financially and socially vulnerable. The majority of the studies emphasize the financial problems of older adults, highlighting only income gaps or healthcare costs. Very few explore how these economic vulnerabilities also shape autonomy, identity, and dignity in later life, especially in the Indian cultural context. This study fills that gap by combining the Interdependence Model to explain the economic realities of aging in India.


The study aims to explore how economic realities shape autonomy among older adults in India. It takes a qualitative inductive approach with 40 older adults (65-82 years) from urban and suburban West Bengal. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. A semi-structured interview schedule was created to collect data. Each interview was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data.


Results revealed three themes, namely: Financial dependence and loss of dignity, Cost pressures breaking stability, and financial strength as an anchor of control. These themes align with the theoretical models showing how elders strive to preserve stability where respect and dignity are tied to family roles. Findings also emphasize how money is not only economic but also relational and cultural in meaning. This makes the findings unique to India, where aging well depends on balancing financial security with dignity in interdependent family structures. These findings add new depth to the literature by offering a fresh framework that future studies can build on to better understand aging.